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Confusion Fall - A Very Pixie Christmas
...because there can still be war without the Dark Lord. |
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Michael was pacing about the apartment trying to decide whether everything was ready. By the Christmas tree were two neat stacks of presents ready to be summoned away, one with presents for Iden's family and one with presents for Michael's family. On the hob were several dishes keeping warm until brunch at Iden's mum's house. In the refrigerator were several more dishes keeping cool until dinner at Michael's parents' house.
"Iden, are you ready to go?" Michael called from the kitchen.
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"Yeah, we should go," he responded, adding, "You know, Theodore Nott was in my year. He's a decent guy, for a Slytherin, that is. We studied together a lot." Michael thought about owling Nott, maybe putting a good word in for Oliver or something.
"You best grab a hold. I'll apparate us over."
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Iden often forgot that Michael, as a Ravenclaw, would have spent more time with Slytherins than he would as a Hufflepuff. Not that it mattered, school was too far in the past to have interhouse friction anymore. He took Michael's arm and checked his clothes once more when they arrived at Michael's place. He didn't know why he was nervous, but he was. He was being quite silly, and he knew it. "Do I look all right?"
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"Yes, of course you do," Michael said, taking Iden's hand and tugging him toward the door.
Michael's parents lived in a respectable looking house, not too big, not too small. It looked a lot like the other houses on the block and the block after that, etc. They lived in a residential area in the London area.
Michael knocked and then let himself in without waiting. "Mum, we're here," he said.
A tall, thin, middle-aged woman in an apron came around the corner. "Oh, just on time, dear. Come in, come in, take off your robes," she said.
Michael hugged and kissed his mother. "Hi, mum. You remember Iden."
"Yes, of course, nice to see you again," she said, smiling politely and offering Iden her hand.
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Iden shook her hand, smiling warmly. "It's very nice to see you too, Mrs Corner. Thank you for inviting me," he said before taking off his outer robe. He looked around the part of the house he could see interestedly. It was nice. He felt perfectly comfortable in muggle surroundings because of his mother's background, but muggle homes were always just a bit busy. Mainly because of all of the gadgets.
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"Michael, take him in to the living room. Your father and Steven are arguing Quidditch," she said and then disappeared back into the kitchen.
Michael swallowed hard and led Iden into the living room. He wasn't worried about Iden meeting his father for the first time, just nervous about how well it would go.
Steven was sitting on the couch, motioning wildly at a newspaper, and speaking too loudly for a two-person conversation. He was clearly upset about Puddlemere's recent performance.
"Happy Christmas, Dad. Happy Christmas, Steven," he said.
Michael's dad look around the side of the chair he sat in and then stood up.
"Um, Dad, this is Iden Otway, Iden, this is my father. And the rambunctious one is my little brother, Steven."
Sam walked up to Iden, appraising him briefly, and then stuck out his hand and said gruffly, "Sam Corner."
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Iden shook Sam's hand, standing up a bit straighter than he usually did. "Pleasure meeting you, Sir. You have a lovely home. Happy Christmas," he said, fighting his nervous habit of toying with his lip ring. Best not to make it any more attention-grabbing than it was. For some reason, Sam intimidated him a bit. Probably because he reminded Iden of his ex-girlfriend's father who called him a billboard and hated the piercings.
He looked over at Steven and smiled, "Hey, Steven. You a Puddlemere fan too?"
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"Yeah, stupid gits lost miserably last week. It was embarrassing," he said.
Sam made an 'ahem' sound. Steven rolled his eyes, put the paper down, and got to his feet. He walked to Iden with his arm already extended. "Nice to meet you, Id... I'm sorry, say your name again?"
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Iden laughed softly. "Sure, I'm Iden. It's a bit of a mad name. Nice to meet you," he said shaking the kid's hand much less formally. "Having a good winter break?" he asked to avoid and awkward silence.
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Steven tried his name again, "Iden. Odd, but cool. Yeah, I suppose the holiday's going well, except for this Quidditch madness."
"Well," Sam interrupted, "we'd all know how to pronounce your name if my son had bothered to bring you 'round sooner. Michael, go help Maggie with dinner. Your brother and I want to get to know your... Iden."
Michael was about to object, but then thought better of it. Iden would survive.
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Iden smiled at Michael a little. Sam was probably quite nice, and Steven seemed like a cool kid. Iden took a seat. "Er, there's not much to know about me. I was a Hufflepuff. Now, I'm a tattoo artist and body piercer at a shop in Hogsmeade. I've got a pretty strong interest in new uses for tattoos and that keeps me pretty busy," Iden said, trying to think of more socially acceptable things about himself. Somehow, I've got a dog and my mum's cool didn't seem like good things to bring up at random.
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"Tattoos! Really?!" Steven exclaimed. In Steven's mind, Iden was now the coolest guy ever, with may the exception of the Puddlemere seeker, when he wasn't sucking it up.
Sam's reaction was a little different. "Right," he said, not seeming particularly impressed, "I forgot that Maggie had mentioned that. Must be quite an interesting clientele."
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Iden laughed a bit at Steven's reaction and stopped laughing at Sam's. "Yeah, I have some interesting people come in. Lots of musicians, guys from the Pixies, the Sisters, a couple of girls from the European Wizarding Symphony. And quidditch players, the Harpies, Puddlemere, the Cannons... Oh, and I did some work on an auror the other day, but lots of my clients are just regular people. We're the only shop in Britain, really, so we see lots of people, and turn lots of kids away every Hogsmeade weekend."
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Sam just nodded at Iden's explanation. He wasn't particularly impressed by Iden's career choice, but he seemed to be doing well for himself. That was respectable.
Steven, on the other hand, was enamored. "Wow, you've tattooed professional Quidditch players? That's so cool. So, do you know the Puddlemere team personally?"
"Steven, let Iden be," Maggie said as she entered the room. "Iden, dear, have a seat. Michael, bring out the hors d'oeuvres, please."
Michael brought in a cheese and vegetable plates and set them on the coffee table. Then he took a seat next to Iden and took his hand."
"How's your mother, dear?" Maggie asked Iden.
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Iden smiled at Steven. "I only know Puddlemere's keeper personally. The Harpies get a lot more tattoos. Those witches are a little wild," he said, giving the shortest answer possible.
"My mum's doing pretty good. Planning a trip to Italy. She sends you her best," he said to Maggie, squeezing Michael's hand softly. This was already going much better than Christmas morning. Sam didn't seem to love him or hate him, and that was good.
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"Well, I really should right her and arrange another lunch," Maggie said.
"I wasn't aware that you and Iden's mother had been having lunch," Sam said, a little irritated.
"Oh, just once or twice. The boys introduced us. It was quite pleasant. And I appreciate that you both humored me and took us to a Muggle eatery, but I think Moira and I can manage at Diagon."
Sam suddenly had an odd look on his face. "Moira? Moira Otway's your mother?"
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Iden was going to tell Maggie that his mum would be more than happy to take her Diagon soon, but was taken slightly aback by Sam. "Er, yeah. Do you know my mum?" he asked curiously.
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"Yes, she and I were at school together. She was a couple years behind me. Before I started working at the International Magical Office of Law, I was in private practice. She was a client for a year or two," he responded. "I haven't seen her in years."
"Small world, had I known darling, I would have invited you along," Maggie said.
Michael got the feeling that this was good and squeezed Iden's hand. "Yeah, small world."
Sam helped himself to a plate of cheese and said, "So, Iden, how did you meet my son?"
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Iden looked at Michael for a moment and thought of the real answer. Well, I was looking for books on being gay right after a drunken snogfest in an alley outside a bar with some bloke I never saw again and Michael was reshelving the naughty books and there you have it. Soon enough we were drunkenly snogging in jazz clubs... Er, no. "Actually, he helped me find a book in Flourish and Blotts when he used to work there. They don't have the most customer-friendly filing system, so I needed the help," Iden said simply.
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Michael smiled at Iden's response. Good cover.
"We dated on and off for two years before the relationship really became serious," Michael said, adding to Iden's story. "That about the time I got the job at the library."
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Iden laughed, "Wow, I always forget we were wishy-washy for so long. We're, uh, both rather shy, actually. My friend, Hannah Weasley, got rather tired of it all and kept threatening to go ask Michael to be my boyfriend for me."
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Steven laughed at Iden's joke and Sam, Maggie, and Michael all gave him nasty looks.
"So, like, are you getting married or something?" Steven asked. Sam and Maggie's looks intensified, but neither said anything. Both were interested in the answer.
Michael stammered for a moment.
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Iden went a bit red in the cheeks and was suddenly rather interested in Michael's hand for a moment. "That's actually the second time we've been asked that today," he said lightly, knowing full well he wasn't answering the question. "Given the, er, conservative nature of wizarding Britain, I'm, er, not even sure it's possible. I mean, maybe in another country or under muggle law, but, er... Not ruling it out, or anything. Just don't know how we'd even go about it."
Kind of an answer. Didn't propose or say he wasn't interested. This seemed like an awful private topic for being discussed so openly.
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"You're right to worry about the legal ramifications. Wizarding law in Britain does not provide for marriage between men nor does it prohibit it. If I understand correctly, the Muggles have something akin to marriage for gays. I think the situation is reversed in America," Sam said, musing on the details.
"Sam, that's enough," Maggie said. "We don't need to talk law. It's Christmas. Is everyone hungry, dinner's ready whenever you want to eat?"
"I'm starving," Steven said.
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"I could eat," Iden said with a wide grin. As everyone headed to the food, Iden pulled Michael slightly back and spoke quietly in his ear, "If we're going to keep seeing our parents, we'll need a better answer to that question."
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Michael nodded and kissed Iden in response.
"Ew," Steve said, popping his head back into the room, "gross."
"Shut it, 'lil prat," Michael said with mock anger.
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